Didn't want to Compete
by Noche00
Summary: "Who's Byakuya talking to?"  I asked Rukia. Kuchiki was with a leggy black haired girl and they seemed a little too intimate. "Oh, Amaya? She's an old friend.And also Nii-sama's girl- well, Mistress, now, I guess." answered Rukia.I went rigid. "His what"
1. Fuck my Life

**Disclamier- I do not own Bleach**

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SUMMARY: Veronica Torres's whole life seems to revolve around shady businesses. Her father is the leader of one of the biggest gangs in L.A and to keep a possible war from happening between _Las Rosas_ and the leading yakuza in L.A, her father betrothes her to the Don of the Kuchiki Family. Veronica now not only has to deal with how her life seems to just revolve around _the business, _an upcoming wedding, a cold and hard husband and a competition she never saw coming.

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Most people my age at this time would just wish they didn't have to go back to school and wish they had easy classes. The girls would worry about the clothes they would wear on the first day and the boys would worry about looking fly and getting girls. They wouldn't have to worry about a possible war between their dad's gang and the leading Yakuza in L.A. Those kids don't have to worry about crap like this, but I do.

Fuck my life.

I gave an exasperated sigh and kicked my right leg on the floor. I then proceeded to pace back and forth on the beautiful and expensive dark wooden floor.

A simultaneous low sigh escaped from the 2 guards that stood by the giant black, glossy door leading to the office.

Not my meeting room. God, no. I am currently outside said meeting room waiting for my dad to come out.

My dad's name is Roberto Torres. He is the leader of one of the biggest gangs in L.A. He is leader of _Las Rosas, _The Roses. My dad said that he named it like that because when he was little back in Spain his mother kept a rose garden and he just fell in love with the smell of roses.

Stupid.

Anyways, Las Roses controls most of the gangs in L.A. And with power comes trouble.

We had a truce with the Yakuza of L.A. we may be powerful but we're not that powerful. Especially against all the Yakuza here. So the truce kept everything cool with no problems. Except until quite recently.

2 months ago, in one of the casinos that the Yakuza own, 2 members of one of the gangs we control and support were found severely beaten.

When we asked them what happened they said that there was a fight and they were taken outside and beaten.

The video tape from the casino told us that there was an altercation, it seemed like our guys started and then they were taken outside.

We apologized since it was clearly us who started it but that didn't stop the tension from mounting.

Fights sprang out, words were called, and guns were cocked. It was horrible.

My father did not want a war and neither did the leader of the Yakuza, a man whom I have never met.

The leading Yakuza in L.A is the Kuchiki Family. The leader of the Kuckiki Family is a man named Byakuya Kuckiki. My dad is having a one-on-one meeting with this man; they are trying to settle things out in the mature way.

I am anxious that he is inside all alone. He said he didn't need to bring any other guards. He also said that I had no reason to coming with him. I still came. I love my dad and I want to be by his side. I'm sort of his adviser. Of course I don't know the answers to everything, I'm only 16, but, my dad says that I have my boundaries and principles straight. I guess that means something to him.

I was pushed out of my thoughts by the black doors pushed open. I saw the familiar frame of my father and my heart stopped its erratic beating.

His face was tense, his shoulders were too. His light green eyes were narrowed. His handsome features were scrunched in annoyance.

He nodded to the guards. "Let's go." he said suddenly, not even looking at me.

Uh oh, something went wrong. Holy crap. Did this mean we were going to war?

I walked faster trying to catch up with my dad's long strides.

I didn't ask him any questions until we were outside of Kuckiki Enterprise, the company that has run in the Kuckiki family for years. It specializes in owning banks and other smaller businesses and such things.

"Dad…" I started but all I got was a hand raised signifying 'not now, Veronica.'

We got into an old school Mercedes-Benz. My dad only uses this car; just like the expensive black suit he has on, when he goes to see important people.

We drove in silence all the way to Reyes Factory. It was owned by my dad's partner and best friend Victor Reyes. This was the hideout and headquarters for Las Rosas. Here we store marijuana, fire arms, stolen cars and other things. The factory was close to our house that was located in a working class neighborhood.

My dad dropped of the car in the underground parking lot and changed into jeans and a buttoned up white shirt.

We hopped on our comfortable and familiar black Chevrolet Silverado.

I never liked all the expensive things that were never needed.

We reached a stop light and I fired away. "What the hell happened?"

He sighed. "Language Vero, language."

I gave him a tired and annoyed stare. "Dad, please tell me."

"Nothing bad happened, I suppose. Things were worked out under certain conditions. There will be no more fighting." he said, his eyes never leaving the road, his hands clutching the steering wheel viciously.

"You know what, fine, I won't ask anymore question _for now_." I huffed while I crossed my arms over my white shirt. I turned my head to the window and stared at the scenery we were passing by angrily.

I heard my dad sigh. "Lemme just talk to your mom first, and then I'll tell you."

I scoffed loudly and rolled my eyes. There was a drastic change in the scenery from when we first left. When we began this ride, the streets were nice and clean but now, as we're getting closer to our house, the streets got dirtier, the houses got more crammed in, the walls were cracked and the pavement was uneven.

This was where I had lived all my life. This was home, and I was not ashamed of it. I was ashamed of all the litter around here but it's not as if I don't do anything about it, I recycle.

There were skinny little kids playing all over the streets. Bunch of thugs hanging around near the corners or by Liquor stores, people arriving home from work. This was how things went, everyday.

I felt the truck begin to slow down as we arrived home.

Our neighborhood was interesting. Most of this street was filled with people who were part of Las Rosas; this was easier since we didn't really need to hide things. We were cautious, of course, just that we didn't need to worry about someone ratting on us.

My house is nicer than a lot of houses here, thankfully. My mom keeps a huge garden in the front with the help of my dad. Our house was a cream color with a red roof and only one story. It had 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a kitchen and living room. Some people may think that it's not much but to me it is. It is everything to me.

Once I stepped out of the truck I checked both sides of the streets out of habit. When you live where I live, you make sure to check things out before stepping into open space.

I walked across the street to my house and looked over my shoulder. I saw my dad leaning against the truck talking to my uncle Nico. Uncle Nico was not in the business with my father, something I am jealous of.

My father looked very tense. I could see it in his eyes his smoldering anger. His sharp features looked needle-like. The veins around his neck and up his arms were like cracks in the earth; very noticeable. His large hands were balled into fists. His pale cheeks were reddened.

What happened in that meeting? Obviously it didn't turn out well for us. But _why_ didn't it turn out well?

I looked up at the sky and noticed the sun was almost setting. Since it was summer the sun rested later so it's probably around 6. The summer breeze was turning colder.

I looked back over my shoulder, glared and walked straight inside my house.

"Quien es?" I hear my mom's steady voice ask from the kitchen. "Soy yo." I answered back. "Dad's outside talking to Tio Nico."

"Hi Vero!" I hear my little brother say. "Hey, Junior." I answered back as I walked into the kitchen.

I see my my little brother sitting on a chair with a towel wrapped around his front with my mom cutting away at his hair.

My mother was a professional hair stylist. My father bought her a beauty salon as a wedding present and I have worked there for extra cash. Her hands moved expertly around my little brother's hair. There was light brown hair surrounding the chair. My little brother had gone without a hair cut for _months_. He would have gone longer if it wasn't for my mom waking up one morning and deciding that my brother needed a haircut ASAP.

Good thing too, his hair was looking ho-ri-ble.

I sat down next to the chair my brother was on, facing the living room.

"And…done!" my mother finished with a dust of that puffy thing and took off the old towel which she threw to the trash. My brother looked way nicer and neater. My mom gave him a nice and fine buzz.

Just when my mother was beginning to sweep the hair was when my dad walked in.

He walked into the kitchen and my mother's dark eyes immediately brightened.

"Roberto!"

"Dad!"

"What happened?"

My dad just sat down across from me and said nothing. My mother sensing something wrong sat down immediately.

"Roberto, how did it go?" she asked, her face was pinched in concentration.

"Junior, go to your room and finish your homework." she said when my father hadn't answered yet.

"But I finished it!"

"Double check it, son, so there won't be any mistakes." my father spoke, looking at him steadily.

My brother set his jaw angrily but stomped his way to his room.

My father sighed loudly and raked his hands against his face leaving red marks against his pale skin. He looked really troubled.

My eyes tightened with quickening fear. Was everything worse than I had thought?

My mother did not look scared at all. Her back was straight, her arms were tense, her eyes blazed. She looked like a fighter ready to go.

"Robert…" my mom said softly yet sturdy.

"The meeting went as planned, I suppose. There were certain…negotiations that had to be made and now I am not sure if it was the right thing to do." he said solemnly.

"What negotiations?" my mother asked.

My father looked at me with guilt. "Veronica, can I talk to your mother alone for a minute?"

I sat there stunned. I slowly unhinged myself from my seat and left the kitchen to my room in silence.

My head was swimming with thoughts. I didn't hear my parents conversing. What the hell did he mean by negotiations? And why did he look at me with guilt?

I said as I stood next to my closed bedroom door.

My room was small but neat. The walls were white with the outline orange. I had a long mirror plastered on the wall. My dresser had my clothes neatly hanged. My shoes were lined up in straight lines in my closet. I liked things in place, okay.

I didn't bother to lie down on my bed. I was cut off from my thoughts when I felt my phone vibrate inside my jeans pocket. I checked and noticed I had a text message. It was from my friend, Jessica.

I replied back saying that I was sorta busy with business. She knew what I meant since her dad was also in The Roses. All the friends that I have, which aren't a lot, have at least one person in the gang.

She replied saying that she was sorry for interrupting and that the whole gang said hi. I smiled a bit. How cute.

I would have replied back but I heard my parents calling me back to the kitchen.

I practically ran into the kitchen. My parents looked troubled. My dad looked even more angry and frustrated. My mom's eyes were red.

"I just don't know how you could do something like this." my mother said softly as she sank into her chair.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you talking to me?" I asked.

My father looked at her angrily. "I had no choice!" he hissed through his teeth.

"You always have a choice, Robert!" my mother said shrilly.

"What did you expect me to do? Huh? What other way was there that didn't involve war?" he asked her as he looked directly at her, both of them completely forgetting me.

"She's our daughter, Rob, our only daughter!" my mother was crying now, she was clawing at her raven brown hair. Holy crap. What did I have to do with this? My mom's crying, why?

"Tell me what happened." I said but I was ignored.

"I know that! This is hurting me too. And I know I made a fucking mistake but I can't take it back! I have to not only take care of us, but I have to take others as well! And if I hadn't taken that offer things would have gone from bad to worse!"

"This is your family we're talking about!"

"DON'T START WITH ME ON THAT! If I had not avoided war I would have been killed and you know what would have happened to my family, they would have been killed right in front of me or worse!"

By this time, they were staring at each other angrily, standing up and facing each other; both of their eyes were red.

"Tell me what happened!" I finally yelled. I was tired of all of this. It has something to do with me, that much is freaking' obvious.

My mother spun around and began to pace back and forth muttering angrily in Spanish.

"Yes, Rob, tell her what happened." she said snippily.

He glared her way and then looked at me. He looked so guilty. From the moment my dad sat down my heart has not stopped beating rapidly.

This is driving me crazy. Why can't they just tell me? It can't be that bad.

"Vero, I did something unforgivable." he started. "I had no right to do what I did but I had to do it because there was no other choice."

"Dad, just get out with it! This is driving me crazy. What do I have to do?" I said.

"In the meeting, Kuckiki and I came into an agreement. We both knew that nothing would have stopped if we just let the word out that we had no problems anymore. We had to have something to back it up. He then offered a proposal. He said his advisors gave him an option which he would now give to me. He said we could both not do anything about this and just say there wasn't any problem-" he would have continued but I cut him off.

"But you guys didn't choose that one, right? If you guys did do that, nothing would have been fixed. They would still hate each other and they would have looked at you both as cowards who did not raise your hands and defended their family."

My father's eyes looked guilty and sad. His face was slumped. "We didn't choose it. But the other option wasn't the best either."

"How could it not have been the best? We stopped the fighting! Anything is worth it when it is to prevent war and murder!"

"Is giving someone away like an animal worth it?" I heard my dad ask me. My mom let out a wrenched sob.

I was taken back. "Huh? Who was given away?"

My father never looked away from me. "The other option was to tie the both us together. We created a bond between us that anyone will respect. I gave you to Byakuya Kuckiki as his future wife."

My entire concentration and thoughts collapsed. It took me long and frozen moments to reattach them together.

I was to marry Byakuya Kuckiki. When this thought erupted onto the surface of my thoughts I was awoken.

"_You gave me away?_" I asked as I stood up from my chair. My hands grabbing the back of my chair fiercely. My mother stood next to the table, looking back and forth between my father and me.

"Dad! How could you!" I screamed. I was beyond angry. He gave me away? To someone I don't even know? What made me most angry was that I knew that I would have no choice.

"There wasn't a better choice." he said gravely. "How could you possibly bring that option up, though?"

"I didn't! This option was brought up and it seemed like the best."

"MOM! TALK TO YOUR HUSBAND!" I yelled as I turned to my mother.

"I already did, Vero. Even though I don't like it, it seems like there's nothing else we could do." she replied sadly, there were tears dropping down her face.

I looked helplessly at both of them. I knew they were both right but I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't just say no. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that because of me people were going to die. I hated not having a choice.

"Who is this man?" I finally asked lowly. I knew nothing about him. Was he old? An alcoholic? A druggie?

"He is not much older than you are actually." my father replied. My eyes widened.

"Really? And he's already leader of his mafia?"

My dad nodded. My mother walked up to me and hugged me. "When will all this be arranged?" I asked. My mom just sobbed into my hair while repeating 'My poor baby'.

My dads face was straight. We both knew that there was no other way.

"Kuckiki would like to meet you tomorrow so we'll drive over and prepare everything there. Don't worry; I'll be there with you."

I nodded. I hugged my mom. "Mom, don't cry. It's what I have to do. It's just a small price to pay. I don't hold this against anyone."

She squeezed me and then let go. She whipped her face with the back of her hand and said, "Okay, let me just…make you something to eat. Both of you."

We ate in silence. I was the first one to finish eating and excused myself.

I didn't bother to change out of my clothes, I just kicked off my shoes, turned off the lights and fell onto my bed and curled into a ball.

I felt completely numb. I didn't know what to think of this situation. It didn't matter anyway because there was nothing I could do. I didn't want to think of tomorrow or the future; I just wished this wasn't my life. I wished my dad had a normal job and that none of us had any relations with shady businesses.

I want a normal life.

Most people my age would worry about going to school in a week. They would be hurrying in buying the clothes they needed and their school supplies. They would be worried about finding their classes and that they didn't have to run into the person they hate or their ex-boyfriend or girlfriend.

Not me, I have to worry about getting fucking married to someone I don't know who just happens to be a mafia boss.

Fuck. My. Life.


	2. Day after

I was awoken from my restless sleep by my mother. I had gone to sleep pretty late last night and had no wishes of getting up.

"Vero…wake up." I heard my mom whisper and she gently pushed my shoulder.

I groaned and scrunched into a smaller ball. "Veronica, you have to wake up. You and your dad are leaving at noon." she said, her voice gripping in anger at the end.

I shuddered, the memories of yesterday's revelations. It just hit me right in the gut.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!

I buried my face into my pillow. How did this happen? Do you see now how fucked up this sort of lifestyle is? I hate living in it.

I felt my mom shake me lightly again. The warmth of her hand calmed me down a bit. I was doing it for her. For everyone.

I blinked away the tears that swam in my eye and turned to look at her. She was dressed for work. Her dark hair was in a ponytail, she was wearing plain jeans and a long sleeve that reached her elbows.

"What time is it?" I asked her, my voice groggy. "Its 9:00, baby. I wish you can go help me today but I think you and your dad will be gone most of the day."

I nodded. "See you later mom." She gave me a quick kiss and headed off.

I waited under my sheets until I heard my mom's car start. It was Friday, 2 more days until school starts; I wanted to enjoy sleeping in.

I tried my damn hardest to go to sleep but I couldn't.

With an angry sigh I threw off my sheets and stood up. I went to my drawers and picked out a pair of jean Capri pants and a red V-neck, underwear, bra, socks and an undershirt.

I turned the lights on in my lavender colored bathroom with chipped corners. I laid my clothes neatly on the sink and grabbed a towel which I hung on the pole holding the blue shower curtains.

I could tell it was going to be a super hot day since I was already sweating so I put the water cold. I jumped as the cold water touched my warm body put grew to enjoying how the cold felt. I washed my body with hard tangerine soap. As I was washing myself my mind never once wondered to what I would be doing. It was just so…bizarre, it hasn't sunk in yet.

I washed my hair quickly with shampoo and conditioner. I stayed inside the shower for a while, just letting the cold water fall down my body. It felt real nice. I begrudgingly stepped out onto the warmish floor. The air felt gross, the only good thing out of this heat would be that my hair would dry quicker.

I quickly dried myself and put on my underwear and bra. Once I was dry I rolled the towel onto my hair so it could dry and not be in my way while I finished drying. I flattened some of the wrinkles that adorned my Capri jeans but not all of them. My shirt also had wrinkles but they were less notable. I put those on also. My Capri pants felt a little snug. My brain, unintentionally, of course, thought of the most likely answer which was that I was getting fat. I was already a size 10, okay; I did not want to move up a size.

A much more reasonable explanation kicked in and I remembered that I had worn these pair of jeans a bunch of times throughout the summer so of course they would have shrunk.

I yanked the towel out off my head and began to comb my almost dry hair. As I was violently combing my knotted hair I looked at myself in the mirror. I had slept last night but it was a restless sleep, I felt like I hadn't even gotten sleep. My eyes looked tired.

As I began to style my hair in a high ponytail, I studied myself some more. I looked like my mother mostly. I had inherited her honey colored skin and her darn hair and her full lips. The only thing I had inherited from my dad was his light green eyes.

_I also inherited a life were danger lurks around every corner_, I thought angrily. This thought made me cringe, I didn't want to resent my dad, and I didn't, it's just that he gave me this life.

Being the daughter of a gang leader I was always under the shadow of being kidnapped or killed or used to get to my dad. That isn't really a problem not since I was taught in self defense and now to fire a gun and use a knife.

My thoughts were interrupted by my phone's ring tone seeping through my bathroom floors. I skidded out of my bathroom and toppled over my bed. Rude Boy by Rihanna was ringing loudly and I knew it was Mike. I landed on my side and grabbed my phone from my little table and laid down on my back.

"Hello." I answered. "Hey Vero!" I heard him say. Mike's dad was a drug dealer who worked for my dad. Like I said before, my closest friends all had at least some family member working for my dad.

I didn't really have many friends, just Mike, Jessica and Alfonso. Jessica's uncle and aunt sold and kept fire arms and Alfonso was the only one out of us who was an actual member of Las Rosas.

"You're up early." I told him. Mike was never up before noon during vacation.

"Yeah, Alfonso stayed with me today and you know how he is." Mike's voice sound annoyed. Mike and Alfonso were complete opposites. Mike was laid back and a lover; he was a pretty boy and had a new girl he thought he was in love with every week. Alfonso was more mature and mysterious and was always up by 8:00.

"It was very nice of you to let him stay with you. His mom hasn't been home for a while has she?" Alfonso's dad wasn't in the picture anymore, he died when Alfonso was little and his mom wasn't exactly the most responsible person in the world.

Before Mike could answer I heard a pounding at my door. "Vero!" I heard my dad say. "Get up, I brought breakfast."

"Sorry Mike! I gotta go, tell everyone I said hi, okay?"

"Wait! Dude, why do you sound so hollow? And what was up with you yesterday?" His voice sounded concerned. He knew it had to do something with business.

"I'm real sorry Mike but I have to go. I swear I'll tell you guys." And with that I rudely clicked on him.

As I lunged forward to stand up I stuffed my phone into my pocket.

I went to my bathroom and quickly finished getting ready. I put on cream and brushed my teeth. I went into my closet and took out my red and white Nike's and put them on. I rushed outside my room and almost bumped into my little brother.

He was still blinking away his sleepiness and gave me an annoyed look.

"Watch it, fatass." he said as he continued to walk to the kitchen. I twitched and growled. "I am not fat!" I cried after him.

He and I arrived next to the eating table and sat down. On top of the table was breakfast from McDonald's. Yay!

I reached into the bags for my pancakes and hash browns. My dad walked into the kitchen with wet hair. He was wearing new, dark jeans and a black buttoned up shirt.

"Good morning." was what he said. Me and Junior just nodded our heads.

"When are we leaving?" I asked him. My father looked very tired but I was sure none of that would show when we arrived to see Kuckiki. When he looked at me his eyes did not show guilt or anything like that. I wasn't sure if he was hiding it or not. I hope he didn't feel guilty. I knew I would get over this. I gave him a little smile, hoping it showed him I wasn't holding this against him.

"Where are you guys going?" Junior asked us. He hated being left out.

"Me and your sister are actually leaving right now to take care of some business, Junior. Your Tio Nico will take care of you today, he said he was going to bring Jesus and Kevin over to play when we left." my dad answered as he downed his cup of coffee.

I couldn't finish my food so I pushed it over to Junior. "Here, you can finish mine."

He instantly beamed. As dad and I stepped out of the house I saw Tio Nico and his 2 kids a couple of yards away and waved.

We hopped onto my dads Mercedes which I guess he called someone to bring it over so that we wouldn't have to stop by the factory.

The sun was stifling; the leather seats were extremely hot. The Mercedes rode like it was driving on water.

"Veronica, I greatly appreciate the sacrifice you are making here." my dad said.

"Dad, it's what I have to do. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew I had the power to stop a war and I didn't. I will be happy in time."

I heard him sigh. "Listen, when we get there I have no idea what will go down. So brace yourself."

I snorted. We drove for about an hour more before we made our way into a street filled with mansions.

The changing of surroundings was surprising. I couldn't put my mind around the fact that people lived in these huge buildings without getting lost.

We stopped at the last mansion in the street. It was humongous. It had an entrance gate colored gold with 2 security guards posted on either side. They let us in once they saw my dad and we rode for about 2 minutes up into the hill that the mansion was perched on. It was all white with a massive yard.

We parked the Mercedes outside the mansion and stepped out. We were met immediately by a maid who led us inside. I didn't even want to look inside the house because I knew I would be overwhelmed so I just stared at the maid. She had dark black eyes that reflected the lights.

I let my dad lead the way when the maid said Kuckiki was inside the conference room. The maid would have showed us the way but my dad said he already knew where it was. As I began to follow my dad I gave the maid a small smile which she seemed surprised at.

The only sounds I heard was my dad's shoes and mines clicking.

The giant, glossy black door of the conference room grew closer and closer with each step. This sent my heart into overdrive. I was beginning to get nervous. I tried to breathe evenly so as to calm down and it worked a little bit.

My dad's body language gave nothing away of how he felt at the moment. We stopped right in front of the black door and my dad knocked three times hard.

I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

My dad looked back at me and smiled. He turned back around as the door handle began to turn. I stepped closer to my dad and held my breath.

The door opened wide and a shadow covered the floor. My dad's height was blocking my view so I had no idea who opened the door until I heard my dad say. "Hello Byakuya."

I regained my breath when I heard his voice. It was cold and had a deep tone to it.

"Roberto." was all he said. It seemed like Kuchiki moved out of the way and my dad walked in. I lost my chance to walk in right behind me, attached to him so I made my entrance inside the room alone. I raised my eyes and the first thing I saw was a large, pale hand grabbing the door knob. My eyes rose from his hands to his shoulder, he was wearing a black suit. My eyes hastily rose to his face and I was met with cold, uncaring steel colored eyes.


	3. Time for a walk, I guess

**I UPDATED! YAY! Well, this chapter just explains some thigns and how they'll be worked out. the next chapter, for sure, will have much more drama. Read and review!=D**

**Disclaimer-I don not own BLEACH.**

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Byakuya Kuchiki was an intimidating figure. When our eyes connected my breath caught in my throat. As I stood next to him I felt like a little girl, almost shivering out of intimidation. His gaze was ice cold and solid, there was no wavering, no nothing.

I was able to breathe normally when Kuckiki turned to close the door. My brain began to work again and I was able to truly take in Kuchiki. He was 18 years old, apparently. I wasn't sure what made him appear older, the tales about him or how he presents himself. Kuckiki was very neat, it seemed. His black suit was almost shinning, he wore a dark grey shirt under and he looked ready for business.

I momentarily wondered what the hell he was doing with a suit on when it was fuckin' hot, but then I mentally called myself an idiot when I realized he obviously had AC in his house. Or should I saw our _future abode_.

Ugh. Oh God! The thought made my eye twitch.

I was interrupted from my thoughts by Kuchiki as he turned to look at me and his eyes had not changed. instead of injecting me with intimidation, I felt annoyance. Not only at him but at myself, too. Was I really that scared of him? No, I told myself, it's just nervousness. This reassurance swelled me up with fake courage and I stood straight and held his gaze.

It was quiet in the room until my dad spoke up. "Byakuya, I would like you to meet my daughter, Veronica."

Kuchiki was about to open his mouth when I spoke.

I quickly stuck out my hand. "Nice to meet you, Byakuya." I said, keeping my face straight but with my eyes saying 'Yeah, I can play this shit, too.'

Quick as a whip, Kuchiki stuck out his hand and shook mine. His hand was cool to the touch. "The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Torres." he said to me although his grey eyes told me otherwise.

I felt a pair of hands clasp my shoulders. "Ah, Byakuya, you have quite a lady here, eh? Come, Veronica, take a seat. _I'll _show you some manners seeing everyone else here won't." said a strong yet feminine voice.

I was hauled to a black leather seat in the middle of my dad and the purple-haired woman.

I examined the conference room. It was pretty classy, I liked it immediately. The walls were a light creamy color that contrasted nicely with the pitch black long table and black leather chairs. Speaking of the chairs, they were amazing.

I sank into mine, trying to fight a smile since the chair felt like I was sitting on a bunch of cotton balls, as others introduced themselves to me and my dad.

There was Yoruichi, the purple-haired, golden eyed women who hauled me into my seat. She introduced herself with a huge grin. Sitting next to her was Urahara, a sandy haired man with a mysterious gaze and air. Across from Yoruichi was a tall, brown haired man with a beard and a flowery pink kimono draped over his clothes, he introduced himself as Shunsui Kyoraku. Next to Kyoraku was a bald headed old man with a long white beard and a wooden staff named Yamamoto. These people were part of Kuchiki's advisers, I suppose.

At the head of the table sat Kuchiki.

His voice broke through the air like cold steel. "We have a few things we would like to discuss with you, Roberto, about the scheduling and such. Like I said before, we formed a plan that remedies the problems we had."

My dad nodded his head and leaned into the table. "Right, so how do we do this?"

I leaned in as well. Kuchiki opened up his mouth but was cut off by Yoruichi. I smiled inside.

"Roberto, here's the plan." she began. Her face was serious now. I wondered how she became the only women here as an advisor. My dad listened intently as she began to talk.

"Veronica, here, will turn 17 next week, on Tuesday. So, we decided that we would throw a party for her here, A birthday party and an engagement party all into one." I made a face that I hoped no one saw. Really? It just seemed so stupid that people in the mafia were planning birthday parties.

"Roberto, you'll your people over to the party and bada -bing-bada-boom! That part is fixed." Yoruichi finished with a smile.

I had on a 'wtf' face that I knew no one missed.

My dad nodded slowly." Well, that settles that part but what about the actual marriage."

"The marriage will be in 3 weeks, we already have people working on it. Since Veronica is underage, she'll need your permission to get married." spoke up Byakuya.

He was looking directly at my dad.

"Starting Monday it would be best if Veronica attends school with me, where we can keep an eye on her. I already arranged for her transfer and she'll start Monday."

What the fuck? Well, I already know what the plan for tomorrow is, saying bye to my friends.

"That's probably for the best." my dad said, his eyes showed that he wasn't lying. He completely agreed with what they were saying.

"Also, starting Tuesday, it's best if Veronica begins to live here, to make it believable."

My dad shrugged. "Best to get used to it." was what he said which made me think again about protesting.

Many things were flying in my head. I already felt just, drained, I turned my eyes to the table. I couldn't help but feel like one of those old school girls, from the 1900s who had no rights at all.

I could yell and shout, say I didn't want to do this shit but it wouldn't be right. I cursed myself and everyone else in my head.

I didn't keep up with the conversation for a few moments. I was snapped out of my haze when I heard my name being called by Kuchiki.

Hearing him say my name zapped me into attention. "Huh?" I asked dumbly.

Kuchiki had stood up and was looking at me. "Would you like to accompany me on a walk?"

Again I made a face. I really needed to stop doing that! "A walk? What about-"

"I would like to show you the rest of my home while my advisors answer any other questions your father has."

My words caught in my throat as I looked at my dad, silently asking him if I should go.

He jerked his head to the door. I jerked up, my chair made a cringe-worthy noise, I stayed put for a moment, just looking at Kuchiki. His eyes still hadn't changed and it just irked me. He thought he was better than everyone else but I'd show him.

I marched outside of the door, as I passed Kuchiki I looked over my shoulder at him and said, "Aren't you coming?" His expression didn't change but I saw a tiny glint shine across.

"Of course." was his smooth response as he closed the door behind him.


End file.
